Saturday, July 22, 2017

What’s in a Name ?

We all know that beauty pageants play an
important role in inspiring young girls to believe in themselves and their
ability to change the world for the better. Provided of course they are
not fat and ugly. That’s why most Trinbagonians were pleased this week to learn
that Queen Street in Port of Spain is to be renamed Janelle Commissiong Street.
Janelle Commissiong as we all know is the first Trinbagonian and the first
black woman to win the Miss Universe title, back in 1977. In a statement,
acting Mayor of Port of Spain, Hillan Morean said the city corporation was
proud of “Queen Penny” and that they had initially took this decision in 1978,
but due to the traffic problem in the city it took 40 years trying to find a
parking spot downtown so they could change the sign.

Not everyone is happy though. Gerrad Besson,
who is a historian, and as such probably hates seeing a proud black woman
achieve anything, suggested the Port of Spain City Corporation display some
thoughtful restraint in renaming places. Speaking to CNC3 news, Besson said
that while he agreed that Commissiong should be honored, he reminded everyone
that Queen Street was one of the original eleven streets in Port of Spain with
a rich history that needed to be preserved. “What the (city council) don’t
realize is that they are just custodians, they don’t own it. Their real job is
to keep it safe, to carry it forward," said Besson. To which the POS City
Corporation responded by saying that anyone with objections should formally
send them in writingtothe POS City History Departmentlocated at 436 ‘Nobody Cares’ Boulevard.

Controversial name changes are nothing new in
T&T. King George V Park was changed to Nelson Mandela Park. Massy Stores
used to be called Hilo. And until recently the Inter Religious Organization
called a 12 year old girl ‘lunch’. Name changes can have positive effects. Like
the way my cousin’s confidence and self-esteem improved when he legally changed
his name to 'Krishna Boodan' from 'Boy-I’ll-cut-yuh-arse, Boodan'. The name his
parents proudly gave him. But sometimes changing a name can get complicated.
For instance, the group calling themselves the Cross Rhodes Freedom Project is
advocating not just for changing place names, but the removal of statues or
anything they deem to be a glorification of colonialism. Becasue airbrushing
history and replacing it with things to make you feel good is what is now
called ‘social justice.’ Previously, it was simply known as ‘fascism.’

The Cross Rhodes Freedom Project (CRFP) takes
their name from the British businessman and politician Cecil Rhodes, whom they
claim was an architect of South Africa’s Apartheid. Despite no evidence of
this, Rhodes dying in 1902 and Apartheid laws being introduced well into the
1950’s. Because in any war with history the first casualty is the truth. The
group has identified three key targets of their campaign. Firstly, statues and
spaces dedicated to Christopher Columbus, whom they accuse of legitimizing
“colonial conquest”. Milner Hall at the UWI, named after British diplomat and
imperialist Alfred Milner. And lastly, Lopinot named after Charles de Lopinot
who settled in Trinidad from Haiti with African slaves.

It is putting it mildly that these three men
were far from perfect people. Columbus cared little about the brutality of the
indigenous people he oversaw while on his journey through the new world. Alfred
Milner was certainly an advocate for British imperialism and on top of being a
slave owner Charles de Lopinot was surely some kind of weirdo to want to live
all the way up in Lopinot.

It is good, indeed essential, that historical
figures are continually being reassessed and reexamined. The complexities of
real life means there is no one “true” narrative on history. However history is
not meant to be curated like a Facebook photo album, meant to impress others
while containing nothing to make us feel embarrassed or angry or depressed. We
must accept our history in its totality.

What is far more dangerous are racial or
political groups who in the name of nationalistic pride decide that they are
the sole curators of what’s historicallyimportant or not. As the writer Eric Arthur Blair one wrote, "Those
who control the present control the past. Those who control the past control
the future." You might know Blair better by the name he switched to later
in life; George Orwell.